Morbus Pācis: Chapter 8
Jo The first thing we did when we woke up was gather our supplies. We packed up our tents and everything else in our possession in the area. Then second thing was a bit unexpected and I wholeheartedly disagreed with it. No one else was complaining because, honestly, this was the only way we could get to Maine. If we had to hot-wire a car then we just had to do it. But that still didn't help my moral code. "Acadia, when did you of all people learn to do this?" I asked, surprise and a little bit a disapproval in my voice. She was in shotgun, with Jim driving the Honda Accord. I was even surprised that he could drive since he never really said he learned. Maybe he never had the time to mention it, or it just slipped his mind. Castella, Kenshin, and I sat in the back. No one was talking except for Acadia and I; they were so nervous. "My dad taught me. I've only had to use it a few times before. It's a French thing." Acadia replied and I rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see me. Now that I had forgotten the fear of getting caught by the police, it made sense that Acadia knew how to do this. Out of all of us she was definitely the most daring. ---- I spent most of the road trip sleeping or staring out the window. Occasionally Castella and Kenshin would talk and Acadia would join in. During those moments I would think about this "mission" we had. We still didn't have weapons that would be appropriate for the hunt or whatever you called it; we were going in just because Metus told us to. It would be a good experience for us, but we were at a disadvantage even with our powers. "How are we going to get rid of the demon anyway? Should we split up?" Castella asked and I immediately joined in. "No. If we split up we're more likely to get hurt. We should stick together on this first hunt so we're more used to how we all fight." I blushed with embarrassment when I realized that Castella, Kenshin, and Acadia were staring at me. Acadia smiled. "Nice to hear you speaking up. Jim, how long till we're there?" she asked. "A little less than an hour." he replied. "I hope this goes well." he added quietly. "It will." I replied, although I wasn't too sure myself. I made a mental note to get a laptop after this. First, I would have to tell the others about it. We would need one if doing this sort of thing was going to be permanent. ---- It was a little past noon when we finally reached a small town in Maine. Castella suggested we get something to eat before we find the demon, and I added that we could try to ask around about anything strange that had happened recently. That was how we found ourselves in a small diner eating sandwiches and absolutely stumped on what to do next. Acadia and Kenshin were finishing up their sandwiches when Castella asked what we would do about finding weird happenings in the town. I figured it wouldn't be so difficult since the town itself was fairly small. News and rumors would spread like a wildfire in this kind of place. "It shouldn't be so hard," I replied. "we just have to ask the right questions." "We need to do this without arousing suspicion, too." Jim added. "And what are we supposed to say when we walk up to people? We aren't even legal adults yet and I doubt many people will believe us if we try to come up with a story on the spot." Acadia finished her sandwich and responded. "We could say we're doing a news report for our school that focuses around the town. It sounds believable enough." "I agree with Acadia." Kenshin chimed in. Acadia blushed and I smiled. Those two were so oblivious to each other it was sometimes almost painful to watch. At least I knew how Jim felt about me. Once everyone finished eating, we payed and left the diner. Castella suggested me split up for this part to lessen the time spent, and we agreed. Castella and I took one section of the town while Jim, Acadia, and Kenshin took the other. As Castella and I were walking away from the others, I decided to start a conversation. "How are you doing, Castella? And I mean that honestly." I asked. She didn't speak for a few minutes and I was ready to let the matter drop, so I was surprised when she answered truthfully. We didn't hang out as much and now I was beginning to regret that. "I'm doing okay, I guess. Being possessed takes a lot out of you." she replied. "It was a horrible feeling. I was trapped inside my own head and I couldn't do anything to break free. I wouldn't want that to happen to anyone. "Jo, are we really doing the right thing?" she asked, but I didn't have a good answer. I wondered that myself sometimes. We came across an old chapel that was slowly falling apart when I smelled something in the air. Castella did, too, by the look on her face. "Rotten eggs?" she asked and I nodded. "I wonder what that means...hopefully nothing bad." "It could be the demon." she offered and I could see the fear in her eyes. "I hope not." I replied and we kept walking. I took out one of my throwing knives when the scent surrounded us again. This time we were no where near the chapel. "I think you're right." I said slowly. I had two throwing knives out, and as we were walking I heard footsteps behind us. We whirled around and came face to face with a woman in her late thirties. She wore a suit and her eyes were completely black. She grinned at us. "I never get chew toys anymore. This'll be fun!" She waved a hand and a trash can flew towards Castella who just barely dodged it. I threw both my throwing knives; one landed in the middle of her forehead and the other in her throat. Despite the blood trickling from both wounds, she was unaffected and pulled them out easily. She frowned. "Ouch. That hurt." "We need to find the others!" I whispered as Castella slashed the demon with her sword. A large gash appeared in the woman's right arm but the wound healed almost immediately. "You two aren't very nice you know. I should teach you a lesson." The trash can levitated in the air again, but instead of throwing it at Castella the demon went for me. I didn't have time to dodge and was knocked to cold asphalt. The side of my forehead stung and but I ignored it and tried to stand up. I could feel a warm liquid trickle down my face and wiped the blood away with the back of my hand. Castella was looking at me with worry but I shook my head. "We need the others. You go find them." I said, but she stayed in one spot. The demon was momentarily distracted by me and Castella managed to run her through with her sword. Blood soaked through her suit and Castella and I bolted for it. I was still disoriented but I willed my legs to keep moving. We ran into the others quite literally. Or, I did. I nearly trampled Acadia over trying to stop myself. "Jo, what happened! Oh gods, your head!" she asked. I lifted a hand to touch the wound on my forehead and winced. "It's nothing." I breathed and turned to Castella. "Do you have your dagger?" I asked. "Of course." she replied. "Okay. I have some throwing knives left. What about you guys?" "We all have our weapons." Kenshin replied. They pulled their respective weapons out just as I heard a harsh laugh behind me. I turned around and saw the demon standing there with Castella's sword in her hand. "You're just like little mice aren't you? Always running away at the sight of danger." I glared at her and threw another throwing knife, but it missed her entirely. I swore and tried another but it missed again. She laughed and waved her hand, causing both me and Castella to crash into the wall of a nearby house. I felt an excruciating pain and without even bothering to look, I knew I had broken my left arm. "Can you move?" Castella asked when she crawled away from me. I nodded and tried to stand up, but stumbled back now. "Stay there. I'll go help." she ordered and I took her advice. I had to admit that sitting down was very relaxing compared to fighting a demon who apparently had telekinesis. The others were fighting it nonstop. I could hear Jim trying to say the exorcism chant, but he was always cut off by the demon. I could barely keep my eyes open while I watched them; I kept wanting to close them. I found another throwing knife and tried to move so that I wasn't hurting my left arm more. I drew a shaky breath and threw it in the general direction of the demon. Apparently Apollo or Artemis were on my side, because the knife found its target. It was only in the demon's thigh, but it made her stumble. This gave Jim enough time to finish the chant and a cloud of black smoke erupted from the woman's mouth. I blacked out before I could witness anything else. ---- When I woke up, we were in the car again. Acadia was driving and Kenshin was in shotgun. I was sitting in the right window seat next to Jim who was dabbing nectar on my broken arm. His expression was full of worry and I blushed. "Are you feeling better?" he asked and I managed to nod. The wound on my forehead had been bandaged, probably by him or Acadia. "Nice throw." Castella commented from beside Jim. I craned my neck a little bit to see her clearly, and smiled. Maybe we would become better friends now. Category:Leafwhisker Category:Morbus Pācis Category:Chapter Page Category:The Supernatural Chronicles